Pool & Spa Safety Inspection
The full barrier check against the VBA standard — same-day Form 23 where your Lara pool or spa is compliant.
$250 flat
Pool Re-Inspections · Lara
Pool Failed Its Inspection in
Lara?
Whether it's a longer township fence run with a gap underneath, or a new-estate gate spring that was never properly tested at handover, Lara throws up two different first-inspection fails. Get the Non-Conformance Report items sorted and Ryan Gaw (VBA-registered, IN-PS 100055) rechecks at no cost. 0402 860 499 — pass, and your Form 23 is issued to you the same day, ready to lodge with council.
- Re-inspection
- Free once listed items are fixed
- Turnaround
- Same-day Form 23 once your barrier passes
- Inspector
- Ryan Gaw · VBA-registered · Licence IN-PS 100055
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In Short: Lara splits down the middle on this one. Township and rural-residential blocks tend to fail on a gap that's opened under the barrier along a longer fence run; new-estate builds tend to fail on a gate spring nobody re-tested after the landscapers finished. Whichever applies to your Non-Conformance Report, sort it and call. The re-check costs nothing, and a pass means the Form 23 is issued that day, ready for you to lodge with council within 30 days.
Lara · City of Greater Geelong
What Happens After a Pool Fails Inspection in Lara?
A failed first inspection isn't a penalty and it isn't recorded anywhere public — it's a to-do list. Here's what happens next:
- You receive a Non-Conformance Report naming each item that failed and the clause it breached
- You arrange the fix — often a fencer for a gap, sometimes just a gate-spring adjustment on newer estates
- You call 0402 860 499 and we book the free re-inspection
- If everything on the list now passes, the Form 23 is signed that day and ready for you to lodge with City of Greater Geelong that day
Most Lara properties clear their Non-Conformance Report within one to two weeks, and new-estate gate adjustments are often a same-day fix. If you're deciding between a fresh full pool inspection and a re-inspection: where we've already issued a Non-Conformance Report on this barrier, come back for the free re-inspection rather than booking a new one.
Local knowledge
Why Lara's Mixed Housing Stock Splits Into Two Failure Patterns
Lara sits at the junction of an older township core and newer growth estates, plus a share of larger rural-residential blocks — and that split shows up clearly in the Non-Conformance Reports we write here:
- Gaps over 100mm under or between the barrier, on larger blocks. Longer fence runs on township and rural-residential land have more places for ground movement to open a gap, especially where the barrier follows an informal boundary rather than a straight suburban lot line.
- Builder-handover barriers altered during landscaping, on new estates. A gate installed correctly by the builder often gets its spring tension knocked out during the landscaping stage, and nobody re-tests it from a cracked-open position before the first inspection.
Both are quick fixes once identified — a gap gets packed or a section adjusted, a gate spring gets reset or swapped. Compare Highton, where the failure pattern ties to slope rather than perimeter length, or Belmont, where it's DIY-era hardware.
Deadlines
How Long Do I Have to Fix a Failed Lara Inspection?
There's no statutory countdown on a Non-Conformance Report — the re-inspection is free whenever you're ready. Two real deadlines are still worth keeping in mind:
- Selling the property: a Form 23 has to be issued inside a 90-day window before settlement. If your failed inspection lands close to a sale date, get the fix moving straight away.
- An existing Form 23 close to its four-year expiry: don't let repairs drag past that date and leave you briefly without a current certificate.
Outside those two situations, there's no cost penalty for taking the time to get the fix done properly.
City of Greater Geelong
Who Lodges the Form 23 After a Lara Re-Inspection?
Nothing is lodged with the City of Greater Geelong after a failed first inspection — council only receives paperwork once the barrier passes. Once the re-inspection confirms every listed item is fixed:
- The Form 23 is completed and signed on-site the same day
- You then lodge it with council within the statutory 30-day window (most owners do this the same day or next business day once the certificate is in hand)
- The council adds your barrier to its Pool and Spa Register and the stamped copy comes back within three to five business days
If your certificate was for a property sale, flag that when you call to book the re-inspection so the lodgement clears comfortably inside your settlement window. For the full registration and lodgement process, see the Form 23 certificate guide or the City of Greater Geelong compliance guide. South of Lara in Corio, the same lodgement steps apply, though the older estate stock there brings a different mix of typical fails.
Services in Lara
Pool Compliance Services in Lara
Flat $250 — same-day Form 23 where compliant, free re-inspections, no hidden fees.
Compliance Consultation
Planning a new pool on a township or rural-residential block? Get the barrier right before you build it.
$250 flat
FAQ
Lara Re-Inspection FAQs
My Lara property is on a larger rural-residential block — why did the barrier fail on a gap under the fence?
Longer fence runs on bigger blocks have more places for ground movement to open a gap, and rural-residential land often has softer or less-compacted soil than a standard suburban lot. It's usually a localised fix, not a full-perimeter problem.
Does the re-inspection cost anything in Lara?
No extra charge. It's rolled into the $250 you paid for the original Lara inspection — the next time you'd pay is a brand-new inspection, for instance at your four-year renewal.
What exactly gets rechecked on a Lara re-inspection?
Only what's named on your Non-Conformance Report. On a new-estate Lara property that's often a gate that was never adjusted after handover; on a township or rural block it's more often a gap or a hardware item — either way, only the listed items get rechecked.
Our new-build Lara pool failed on the gate — isn't a brand-new pool supposed to already comply?
A near-new barrier is structurally sound, but the gate spring is often set by the fencer for adult use at handover and never tested from a cracked-open position — that's the standard's actual test, and it's the most common first-inspection fail on new Lara estates.
Is a Form 22 occupancy certificate the same as a Form 23 for our new Lara pool?
No. A Form 22 from the building surveyor covers the house; the pool barrier still needs its own Form 23 from a VBA-registered inspector before the four-year clock starts, regardless of when the house was signed off.
Is there a deadline to fix a failed Lara inspection?
Nothing in the fee itself is time-limited. Where the clock does matter is a sale — settlement needs a Form 23 issued within the preceding 90 days, so get moving early if you're on a sale timeline.
Nearby
Re-Inspections in Nearby Suburbs
Same flat $250 across our entire service area.